Flu Outbreak Hitting Some Schools Hard

The flu is hitting some school districts hard. KMBC’s Kelly Eckerman reported that the Cass-Midway School District was forced to cancel classes Thursday and Friday because so many students were ill. School activities were also canceled. Eckerman visited Cordill-Mason Elementary School in Blue Springs on Thursday, which has seen a lot of absenteeism in the past two weeks. “We’ve seen three to four times more with fevers, twice as many students with nausea or a stomach illness,” said Cherie Chambers, who is a school district nurse. Absenteeism peaked last week. But there are still empty seats. Eckerman reported that there is a big push to get students to sneeze in their sleeves, use tissues and wash their hands. Eckerman said that washing hands seems like a simple thing. But when it comes to kids, they have to be reminded. The custodial staff is also focusing on sanitizing door knobs throughout the day because they are easy places for germs to spread. School officials are also urging parents to keep sick children home until they are fever free for 24 hours and have stopped vomiting for at least 24 hours. If a parent suspects the flu, Chambers said to take the children to the doctor. “If they are able to test a child early enough and confirm they do have influenza, there is medication they can give them to make the symptoms not so severe, so they can get over those symptoms earlier and faster,” Chambers said.